Lined containers



Sept. 25, 1962 Filed Aug. 9, 1960 S. J ZALKIND LINED CONTAINERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 p 1962 s. J. ZALKIND 3,055,568

LINED CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 9, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United. States Patent 3,055,568 LINED CONTAINERS Sidney Joshua Zalkind, Bayside, N.Y., assignor to Alliance Paper & Packaging Co., Inc., New Hyde Park, N .Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 48,389 5 Claims. (Cl. 229-14) This invention relates to composite or lined containers and more particularly to a fluid-tight container and method and means of making fluid-tight containers from kraft or fluid-pervious paperboard material.

' Prior to the advent of lined containers numerous liquids, viscuous, powdered or granular substances, such as chemicals, paint, oil, grease, food products, and the like, frequently were shipped of necessity to avoid leakage and/ or contamination of their contents in containers usually made in the form of wood, fibre or metal and relatively heavy and expensive both to construct and to ship.

Heretofore lined containers have been fabricated by inserting a liner bag in a container casing. Usually the casing is composed of comparatively heavy, stiff, paperboard. The liner bag is liquid-proof and renders the paper casing suitable as a package for particular merchandise such as liquid or viscuous materials and for solids which because of chemical reactions normally prevent their being packaged in a paper container. Such liner bags have also been employed in connection with metallic casings, for example, to prevent chemical action between the contents of the container and the thin casing.

The packaging of different commodities produces generally a different problem in each instance, and in many instances the so-called lined containers heretofore constructed had been found unsatisfactory. For example, the packaging of frozen foods and liquids has produced the problem of initially packaging the frozen food or liquid in an unfrozen condition and subsequently freezing it. Upon arrival at the destination of the package the frozen contents must be removed from the package. If metal cans are employed to package the frozen food or liquid it requires six to seven hours of setting at room temperatures of the packages before the contents can be removed. It is readily apparent that this necessitates the availability of space for temporarily warehousing the metal cans or packages prior to dumping out the contents, as for example, into a hopper for final defrosting. A very serious disadvantage of the use of metal cans for packaging frozen foods and liquids is the fact that the several hours required for setting and preliminarily defrosting the package before the contents may be dumped out allows thebacteria count to increase before the food product is processed and the quality of the package goods deteriorates. Moreover, the extra handling during the temporary warehousing greatly increases labor costs.

In the event that lined containers are employed for packaging frozen substances it has been found that the liners which are fluid-impervious tend to become imbedded in the frozen food or liquid product. Even though the outside casing is of the type that may be stripped from the frozen packaged food product the liners themselves tend to become imbedded in the food product and cannot be readily removed. Where the liner bag is formed and inserted in the casing the side walls of the bag generally form an ascending curve or radius with the side wall of the casing and tend to form folds that are imbedded in the frozen product once the material package is frozen and cannot be removed during the unpackaging and stripping operation while the packaged goods are in a frozen state. a It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a lined or composite container of the type referred 3,055,568 Patented Sept. 25, 1962 that would tend to become imbedded in the material packaged, as for example, a frozen liquid or food product.

The skirt on the liner according to the invention fits over an open end of the tubular casing and the liner has a bottom wall attached to the skirt so that when the bag is inserted into the casing the skirt fits peripherally around a marginal end portion of the casing and the bottom wall is stretched tautly across an open end of the casing thereby precluding folds from forming on the bottom wall of the liner. The end of the liner bag opposite to the bottom wall is open and this is preferably closed with a polyethylene coated kraft or paper-board closure memher and the opposite open ends of the outer casing are closed with respective cover or closure members so that the entire paper-board casing is therefore rendered completely fluid-tight and fluid-impervious.

Other features and advantages of the composite container in accordance with the present invention will be better understood as described in the following specification and appended claims, in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bag liner according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the parts forming a composite or lined container according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of the assembled parts shown in FIG. 2 forming a composite container subsequent to assembly of the parts; and

FIG. 4 is an elevation section of a second embodiment of a package according to the present invention.

According to the drawings a preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a removable liner bag 1 made of a synthetic polymer film, for example, a thin, flexible, thermoplastic composition film made of a material such as polyethylene. The bag is formed from a tubular section 2 sheared to proper length. The tube is of any desired cross-sectional configuration but preferably is cylindrical, rectangular or square. In the example shown the tubular section 2 has a square cross-section. One end of the tubular section has a marginal portion of the film reversably folded outwardly of the tubular section back upon itself forming an upstanding skirt 3 peripherally around the tubular section 2.

A closure or bottom wall is formed over one open end of the tubular section 2 at the end where the skirt 3 is formed by disposing a separate sheet 4 of the film on the fold 5 and heat sealing the sheet of thermoplastic film material to bond the sheet to the fold and form a fluidtight seal thereby forming a fluid-tight bottom wall for one end of the tubular section adjacent the skirt.

It can be seen that the thickened end of the bag or tubular section due to the fold 4 provides a wider surface area of contact with marginal portions 6 of the end closure 4 and makes available in that area more material than would be provided by the mere line contact between the non-thickened walls of the bag section and the end closure 4 and the material available along that line, thereby insures a continuous and uninterrupted bond being effected between the contacting portions around the entire end of the bag being closed. The end opposite to the closure 5 remains open as an open end 8.

[In order to form the composite container inexpensively an open end tube 11 made of kraft or paper-board material is employed. It being understood that the paperboard material is not fluid-impervious and the liner bag 1 is inserted internally of the tube 11 to render the casing fluid-tight and fluid-impervious. The bag is inserted in the tubular casing 11 in such a manner that the skirt 3 fits over corresponding outer marginal surfaces 12 of an end portion of the tube 11 and the bottom wall 4 and bag are so dimensioned that the bottom wall is stretched tautly across an open end of the tube 11 in the manner shown in FIG. 2.

The liner bag is formed having a greater axial length than the axial length of the tubular casing 11 so that the side walls, as for example side walls 14 and 15, are drawn, in assembling the container, tautly substantially parallel to the corresponding walls 16 and 17 respectively of the tubular casing since the skirt 4 tends to hold the bag anchored on the casing 11. The marginal portions of the side walls at the open end of the liner bag 1 in assembly with the casing are draped or depend outwardly of the corresponding walls of the casing 11 as shown at 19 by reversably folding the marginal portions outwardly of the casing 11 and stretching the bag tautly as indicated heretofore. In this manner the liner bag conforms to the inner configuration of the casing and the side walls of the bag do not form an ascending curve or radius with the side walls of the casing 11 as in the known lined containers.

A bottom closure member 21 is then fitted over the corresponding end of the casing 11 forming a bottom cover for the casing. The closure member or cover 21 is formed with a peripheral flange 22 that overlies the skirt 3 holding it snugly against the outer surfaces of the casing 11 and a high strength sealing tape strip 24 is then applied peripherally around the cover 21 and the casing 11 as shown thereby preparing the container for a filling operation.

The container is filled with the commodity to be packaged and then a closure member 24, for example, a closure member made of a paperboard material having an underside 25 coated with a substance such as polyethylene bondable to the liner bag by heat and pressure. The closure member 24 has the same cross-sectional configuration as the casing 11 and is disposed over the open end 8 of the bag overlying the edge 26 of the casing at the point where the fold is formed on the bag 1 to form the depending marginal portions 19.

The bag is closed by applying heat and pressure in known manner to the end closure member 24 so that the thermoplastic material on the member 24 is bonded to the thermoplastic material or film on the bag. The fold of the liner bag corresponding to the edge 26 of the casing provides a wide surface area of contact closure member 25 and makes available in that area sufficient material to insure a continuous and uninterrupted bond being effected between the contacting portions of the member 24 and the bag 1 around the entire open end of the bag.

Subsequent to closing the open end of the bag a second closure member 29 is disposed overlying the member 24 forming a cover for the corresponding end of the casing 11. The cover 29 is provided with a peripheral flange 30 which overlies the depending marginal portion 19 of the bag and holds it snugly against the outer surfaces of the corresponding outer walls of the casing 11 and a high strength sealing tape strip 32 is applied as shown over the cover 29 and casing holding the cover 29 in fixed position over the corresponding end of the casing 11.

It can be seen that in this manner a composite container 35 is formed usable for packaging substances in a liquid state and the generally fiuid-pervious paper-board materials are usable in the outer casing, because of the liner, for these liquid materials. A simple and inexpensive package is thus formed. It will be understood that although the closure members or covers 21 and 29 are shown as having their respective flanges with different lengths or height the two covers can be made similar to each other. The bag may be made with the skirt 3 equal in height or length to the length of the depending portions 19. Moreover, the bag is made of sufficient greater length than the outer casing so that the depending portions hold the corresponding side walls of the liner bag conforming to the inner surfaces of the corresponding side walls of the casing. Depending upon the length of the container it has been found that a draping portion of about four inches is suflicient.

A second embodiment of the composite or lined container according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 4 in which the parts corresponding to similar elements or parts in the first described embodiment are designated with primed reference numerals. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment of the lined container in that a sleeve 37 made of a paper-board material is inserted internally of an outer tubular casing 11' and a bag 1 is disposed internally of the sleeve 37. The sleeve 37 is formed to fit snugly internally of the casing 11 and the bag 1' fits internally of the sleeve 37 and is configured to fit internally of sleeve 37 in a similar manner in which the bag 1 fits internally of the casing 11 in the first-described embodiment.

The sleeve 37 has an axial length shorter than the axial length of the casing 11', as for example, it is approximately one-half inch shorter so that a shoulder 38 is formed peripherally internally of the container. In this instance, an end closure member 40 fits internally of the bag 1 and is seated on the shoulder 38. The closure member 40 is not welded to the bag. The corresponding end of the bag 1 is then closed with a gooseneck closure 41 or other known closing means.

It will be understood that a skirt 3 of the bag 1 fits externally of the casing 11' in the manner heretofore described so that a bottom wall 4 thereof is stretched across the open end of the sleeve 37 and outer casing 11'. The open ends of the casing 11' are closed with respective bottom and top covers 21 and 29' respectively as shown.

The second construction of the container according to the present invention is preferably usable for shipment of viscous materials, as for example, pastes, that do not set at room temperatures and may to a certain extent expand when heated while still requiring a fluid-tight and fluid-impervious package for shipment thereof. A space 43 formed between the top of the closed liner bag 1' and the underside of the cover 41 is shown exaggerated in FIG. 4. Actually closure 41 is quite small so that very little axial movement of the contents of the filled bag 41 is permitted in the event the container is inverted so that there is never danger of parting the bag at the fold at the area of juncture of the skirt 3' and the side walls of the bag.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that many modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A fluid-tight composite container comprising, in combination, an open-end tubular casing of paper-board material, a liner bag of a thin, flexible, fluid-impervious material positionable in said casing as a liner for rendering the casing fluid-tight and fluid-impervious, said bag having side walls and a bottom wall closing one end with an open opposite end and formed having a length greater than the tubular casing, the bag having a marginal end portion reversably folded extending outwardly of the bag forming a skirt at the closed end of the bag, in assembly with said casing said skirt being disposed fitting around outer marginal surfaces of the walls at an end of said casing, the dimensions of the bottom wall being so chosen that in assembly with said casing the bag bottom wall is stretched tautly across the lastmentioned end of the casing and the bag is held on the casing so that the bag walls can be drawn tautly substantially parallel to corresponding inner surfaces of the walls of the casing and reversably folded outwardly at the opposite end of the casing forming a depending peripheral marginal portion outwardly of the outer surfaces of the corresponding walls of the casing, a closure member coated with a sealing material bondable at least with pressure on to said liner bag for sealing the open end of the bag subsequent to the disposition of contents therein, and disposed in assembly with the bag and casing making a fluid-tight seal with the fold of the bag adjacent said outwardly depending portions, for each end of the casing a paperboard cover positionable over a respective end of the casing for closing the respective end, and each cover having a flange portion overlying the bag depending wall portion and skirt respectively.

2. A fluid-tight composite container comprising, in combination, an open end tubular casing of paper-board material, a tubular paper-board sleeve disposed internally of said casing and having a length greater than one half the length of said casing and less than the length of the casing forming a peripheral shoulder internally of said casing, a liner bag of a thin, flexible fluid-impervious material positionable in said casing internally of said sleeve as a liner for rendering the casing and sleeve fluid-tight and fluid-impervious, said bag having side walls and a bottom wall closing one end with an open opposite end and formed having a length greater than the tubular casing, the bag having a marginal end portion reversably folded extending outwardly of the bag forming a skirt :at the closed end of the bag, in assembly with said casing said skirt being disposed fitting around outer marginal surfaces of the walls at an end of said casing, the dimensions of the bottom wall being so chosen that in assembly with the casing the bag bottom wall is stretched tautly across the last-mentioned end of the oasing and the bag is held on the casing so that the bag walls can be drawn up tautly substantially parallel to corresponding inner surfaces of the walls of the casing and reversably folded outwardly at the opposite end of the casing forming depending peripheral marginal portions outwardly of the outer surfaces of the corresponding walls of the casing, a closure member coated with a sealing material bondable at least with pressure on to said liner bag for sealing the open end of the bag subsequent to the disposition of contents therein and disposed in assembly with the bag and casing internally of the bag seated on said shoulder making a fluid-tight seal with an annular area of the bag seated on said shoulder, for each end of the casing a paper-board cover positionable over a respective end of the casing for closing the respective end, and each cover having a. flange portionoverlying the bag depending wall portion and skirt respectively.

3. A fluid-tight composite container comprising, in combination, an open-end tubular casing of paperboard material, a liner bag of a thin, flexible, fluid-impervious material positionable in said casing as .a liner for rendering the casing fluid-tight and fluid-impervious, said bag having side walls and a bottom wall closing one end with an open opposite end and formed having a length greater than the tubular casing and having [a cross-section configuration snbstantially corresponding to a cross-sectional configuration of said casing, the bag having a marginal end portion reversably folded extending outwardly of the bag forming a skirt at the closed end of the bag, in assembly with said casing said skirt being disposed fitting around outer marginal surfaces of the walls at an end of said casing, the dimensions of the bottom wall being so chosen that in assembly with said casing the bag,

bottom wall is stretched tautly across the last-mentioned end of the casing and the bag is held on the casing so that the bag walls can be drawn up tautly substantially a 6 parallel to corresponding inner surfaces of the walls of the casing and reversably folded outwardly at the opposite end of the casing forming depending peripheral marginal portions outwardly of the outer surfaces of the corresponding walls of the casing, a closure member coated with a sealing material bondable at least with pressure on to said liner bag for sealing the open end of the bag subsequent to the disposition of contents therein and disposed in assembly with the bag and casing making a fluid-tight seal with the fold of the bag adjacent said outwardly depending portions, for each end of the casing a paper-board cover positionable over a respective end of the casing for closing said ends, and each cover having a flange portion overlying the bag depending wall portion and skirt respectively.

4. A fluid-tight composite container comprising, in combination, an open-end tubular casing of paper-board material, a liner bag of a thin, flexible, fluid-impervious material positionable in said casing as a liner for rendering the casing fluid-tight and fluid-impervious, said bag having side walls and a bottom wall closing one end with an open opposite end and formed having a length greater than the tubular casing, the bag having a portion extending outwardly of the bag forming a skirt at the closed end of the bag, in assembly with said casing said skirt being disposed fitting around outer marginal surfaces of the walls at an end of said casing, the dimensions of the bottom wall being so chosen that in assembly with said casing the bag bottom wall is stretched tautly across the last-mentioned end of the casing and the bag is held on the casing so that the bag walls can be drawn tautly substantially parallel to corresponding inner surfaces of the walls of the casing and reversably folded outwardly at the opposite end of the casing forming a depending peripheral margin-a1 portion outwardly of the outer surfaces of the corresponding walls of the casing, a closure member coated with a sealing material bondable at least with pressure on to said liner bag for sealing the open end of the bag subsequent to disposition of contents therein and disposed in assembly with the bag and casing making a fluid-tight seal with the fold of the bag adjacent said outwardly depending portions, for at least the end of the casing opposite said closure member a paper-board cover positionable over the last-mentioned end of the casing for closing said end, and said cover having a flange portion overlying said skirt.

5. A fluid-tight composite container comprising, in combination, an open-end tubular casing of paper-board material, a liner bag of a thin, flexible, fluid-impervious material positionable in said casing as a liner for rendering the casing fluid-tight and fluid-impervious, said bag having side walls and a bottom wall closing one end with an open opposite end and formed having a length greater than the tubular casing, the bag having a portion extending outwardly of the bag forming a skirt at the closed end of the bag, in assembly with said casing said skirt being disposed fitting around outer marginal surfaces of the walls at an end of said casing, the dimensions of the bottom wall being so chosen that in assembly with said casing the bag bottom wall is stretched tautly across the last-mentioned end of the casing and the bag is held on the casing so that the bag walls can be drawn tautly substantially parallel to corresponding inner surfaces of the walls of the casing and reversably folded outwardly at the opposite end of the casing forming a depending peripheral marginal portion outwardly of the outer surfaces of the corresponding walls of the casing, a closure member coated with a sealing material bondable at least with pressure on to said liner bag for sealing the open end of the bag subsequent to disposition of contents therein and disposed in assembly with the bag and casing making a fluid-tight seal with the fold of the bag adjacent said outwardly depending portions, for each end of the casing paper-board cover positionable over a respective end of the casing for closing the respective end,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hultkrans May 8, 1945 8 Gazette Sept. 3, 1946 Waters Oct. 7, 1947 Brooks Jan. 20, 1948 Schneider June 13, 1950 Howard Apr. 24, 1951 Hultin Aug. 12, 1952 Pfeifer Sept. 15, 1953 

